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St. Patrick's weekend in desert has traditional, punk and Grateful Dead-styled celebrations

HOT PICK

Saturday-Sunday

Rockin' St. Paddy's: St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are starting early this weekend, and the most rock and rollicking aren’t likely to include renditions of “Danny Boy.”

Ghost Notes, a new jam band featuring such rock stalwarts as Leonard Cohen violinist Bobby Furgo on keyboards and violin, bassist Mike Hammons, guitarist Damian Lautiero and drummer Rob Peterson, made a sensational debut last month at Big Rock Pub. Fans were raving online about their interpretations of songs by the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and The Band for weeks. Now they're playing their second gig and promoter B.B. Ingle has them headlining with desert legend John Stanley King.

Ingle has some tough competition for the Saturday St. Patrick’s rock crowd. Flogging Molly, arguably the best Irish punk band in the business, is slated that night at Morongo Casino in Cabazon. If you’re planning to drink beer until you’re green, go to the venue where you can get a Lyft without it costing a fortune.

BEST BETS

Thursday, March 14-Saturday

Too Marvelous for words: Marilyn Maye is my favorite female nonagenarian vocalist. If you haven’t seen her, what the heck are you waiting for?

Maye is from the Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee school of swinging jazz, and there’s something about living life in those big band years that gives their music an element neo-swingers can’t replicate. She sings conversationally and like an instrument, and she makes you feel like she’s singing only to you.

Maye is returning to her favorite Palm Springs haunt, the Purple Room, and it’s a perfect match for her. It’s mid-century modern and it was around when Sinatra was both enriching and terrorizing waiters.

Saturday

Truckin' for good food: If you’re still enamored with food truck cuisine, this is your lucky day. Have lunch and dinner at two different food truck events, and then stop by a casino before your luck runs out.

The Food Truck Mash-up produced by USA Today Network Events starts at noon in downtown Cathedral City with Cousins' Maine Lobster out to defend its title as the most popular food truck in a lineup with competitors such as Baby's Badass Burgers, Belly Bombz Kitchen, Mess Hall Canteen and Me So Hungry Food Truck.

One hour later, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Food Truck Park in Coachella. Can’t say what other food trucks will be caravanning down I-10 for this event, but it offers free admission. The sponsoring Coachella Chamber of Commerce calls it a “unique networking opportunity.”

Saturday

Living history: The Coachella Valley has not only figured out how to monetize its history, it’s conceived a good way to keep it alive with the younger generation.

The Coachella Valley History Museum is presenting a Living History Festival with “junior historians” stationed in front of more than 20 museum exhibits. When visitors come around a corner, they encounter a kid waiting to explain the story behind their exhibit.

It’s a lot more engaging than pressing a button and getting a history lesson or wearing headphones for a self-guided docent tour.

Saturday

Il Divo was created by “American Idol” producer and personality Simon Cowell in 2003 and, since then, it has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. They’re credited with pioneering the genre of “popera.”

Sunday

Real Irish music: If you’re seeking a traditional Irish St. Patrick’s Day celebration, just go to Pete’s Hideaway in Palm Springs, and then go to the pub hiding behind that.

Irish tenor David Christopher will perform an evening of traditional Irish ballads and pop songs in a St. Patrick's Day show at Club Rouge in Palm Springs.(Photo: Submitted)

David Christopher, who used to be part of the Moody’s Singers and “The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies,” is my favorite Irish tenor in the Coachella Valley. He does a special St. Patrick’s show every year — often with the Coachella Valley Symphony back in the day.

This year, he’s being joined by the Killarney Kortet, featuring Vanessa Sheldon on harp, Shelley Yoelin on flute, Jeanine Manthey on violin and Robert Vaughn on piano.